Loment

Loments of Hedysarum hedysaroides

A loment (or lomentum) is a part of certain legume plants. It is a type of dehiscent^[1] fruit that breaks apart at the constrictions occurring between segments, so that each segment contains only one seed.^[2] It is a type of schizocarp.^[1]

Tick trefoil (Desmodium) and sweet vetch (Hedysarum) are two genera that exhibit this fruit type, which is found particularly in the tribe Hedysareae of the family Fabaceae.

References

1. Bell, A.D. (1997). Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
2. Beentje, H. (2010). The Kew Plant Glossary: an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms. illustrated by Williamson, J. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Kew Publishing.